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Hairy Lespedeza

Lespedeza hirta

70
Strong

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height
About 6 feet
Light
4 or more hours of direct sun
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
Late summer
Fruiting season
Fall to winter

Not yet recorded · Spread · Soil · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 22 West Virginia counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 120 animals.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

22CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Lespedeza

  • Adelphia petrellaRusty-Banded Adelphia
  • Aristotelia roseosuffusellaPink-Washed Aristotelia
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Caenurgina erechteaClover Looper Moth, Common Grass Moth, Forage Looper
  • Cecropterus bathyllusSouthern Cloudywing
  • Cecropterus lyciadesHoary Edge
  • Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
  • Choristoneura obsoletanaObsolete Leafroller
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
  • Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
Show all 22
  • Dasylophia anguinaBlack-Spotted Prominent
  • Epargyreus clarusSilver-Spotted Skipper
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Ptichodis herbarumCommon Ptichodis
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Stilbosis tesquellaHog-Peanut Leaf-Sewer
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Triclonella pergandeellaSweetclover Root Borer, Bush-Clover Triclonella
  • Utetheisa ornatrixOrnate Moth, Pink Underwing, Rattlebox Moth, Bella Moth
  • Porphyrosela desmodiella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
16BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Lespedeza

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Lespedeza

  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

1AntsRecorded seed interactions
  • Pogonomyrmex badius

Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.

No records yet · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Dark green
Fruit begins
Fall
Fruit ends
Winter

What its natural habitat tells you

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Late summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Flower color · “White” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Foliage color · “Dark green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Winter” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Height · “About 6 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • primary_flower_color · “white” · USDA PLANTS

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources